Volunteers Wanted to Assist with Ccompetitions, Matches & Championships

The Suffolk Golf Union (SGU) are looking for golf-loving volunteers to help with the running of their competitions, championships, and matches. We’re seeking to build a pool of volunteers who can assist primarily in three areas (1) with live scoring during tournaments and matches, (2) ball spotters at tournaments and (3) for those who are particularly interested in the rules of golf, referees.

The Suffolk Golf Union performs many different golf related duties across the county. The most visible of these includes the running of championships and matches for all age groups from under 12’s all the way up to over 55’s at senior level.

By building up a pool of casual volunteers we hope to improve the experience for all who are connected, associated, or interested in the competitions, tournaments and matches that the Suffolk Golf Union run. A volunteer in any of the three areas mentioned will not only help improve the experience for the players participating in any of the SGU events, but also provide an opportunity for the Suffolk Golf Union to offer greater levels of outward communication to all golfers in Suffolk by freeing up valuable time and resource for the Suffolk Golf Union board members, who already give up valuable time on a volunteer basis, to do more with the time they have available for SGU activities.

Live Scoring

As we move into an ever more digital age there is now the opportunity to provide live scoring at SGU tournaments and matches. However, effective live scoring cannot be achieved without volunteers’ scorers on the ground to collect the players scores, or match status updates.

During championships volunteers would be placed at a specific location on the course to collect scores from the players as they pass their location. The collected scores would then be input into the live scoring system via a mobile device, this would in turn update the live scoring within the SGU tournament system which is then visible on the SGU website so that people can follow the championship scoring online.

During matches volunteers would be allocated a specific game (or games) to follow. The volunteer would be required to keep up to date on the match progress by communicating with the players involved in the game(s) at regular intervals and then inputting the match status into the live scoring system – again, this is then made visible on the SGU website so that people can follow the match status online.

A volunteer in this role would be required to attend a selection of championships and/or matches and become familiar with how to use the SGU Intelligent Golf live scoring system. Training on how to use the system will be provided. This would be an excellent opportunity to gain access to and build relationships with some of the elite golfers in Suffolk, as well as watch some high-quality amateur golf at close quarters.

Anyone interested in finding out more about becoming a live scoring volunteer should contact the county secretary Paddy Lockwood – secretary@suffolkgolfunion.co.uk – 07884 313898.

Ball Spotters

The SGU run seven championships during the main golf season. One of the issues faced during any championship is keeping the field moving at a satisfactory pace of play during the day. Experience over several years informs us that the more ball spotters we have during a championship the quicker the pace of play. The less time players participating in the championship spend looking for balls which have strayed from the fairway the less time spent on the course.

The SGU are looking to build a pool of ball spotters they can call on to help at championships. The idea being that as a volunteer builds up ball spotting experience the more effective they become at locating misplaced shots, and helping the participating players increase their pace of play. In an ideal world we’d have ball spotters located on every par four and par five fairway across all seven of our championships.

Ball spotters would be required to attend one or more championships across the year. Each volunteer ball spotter will be allocated a fairway to monitor during the championship. They will watch players hit tee shots, follow the flight of the ball to the final resting position and then be required to provide clear signals to the players on the tee if the ball is in play, or requires a provisional shot to be played. Training will be provided on the most appropriate signalling system.

A volunteer in this role would gain access to elite golfers in Suffolk, as well as watch some high-quality county level amateur golf at close quarters.

Anyone interested in finding out more about becoming a ball spotting volunteer should contact the county secretary Paddy Lockwood – secretary@suffolkgolfunion.co.uk – 07884 313898.

Referees

The SGU already has a pool of qualified referees but is looking for volunteers who wish to train to attain level 1 and level 2 R&A referee status, to build a bigger pool of volunteer referees who can assist players with the rules of golf at SGU run championships, competitions or matches.

There is a level of commitment required to attain status as a qualified golf referee, but the rewards can be significant for those who are interested in the rules of the game. Previous volunteers who have been guided through the training by our level 3 referees Mike Rees and Trevor Mason have gone on to referee at official England Golf events.

The first step for anyone wishing to become a qualified referee is to contact Mike Rees – michaelrees@aol.com – 07702 087790, or the county secretary Paddy Lockwood – secretary@suffolkgolfunion.co.uk – 07884 313898.

Once level 2 status has been acquired qualified referees can then be added to the SGU pool of referees. A rota of championships, competitions or matches for referees is organised by Mike Rees each year based on availability, with a fair split of opportunities for all referees on the rota.

Other Volunteer Opportunities - Junior Squad Assistants

The Suffolk Golf Union are always on the lookout for more volunteers to help with the running of the junior squads. We run teams at U12, U14, U16 and U18 age groups, and each team has several matches during the golf season, as well as a coaching program throughout the winter.

Anyone wishing to volunteer to help with the running of the junior teams will need to be DBS checked. Please email SGU Junior Secretary Mike Olding – sgujuniorsecretary@gmail.com – or SGU Junior Chairman Trevor Mason – chairsuffolkjuniorgolf@gmail.com.

NOTES:

• The SGU run seven championships: Foursomes Championship, Junior Championship, Amateur Championship, Seniors Championship, Open Championship, Matchplay Championships (combined Junior, Mens & Senior), and Team Championship.
• The SGU runs six teams: Men’s 1st Team, Men’s 2nd Team, Seniors Team, Under 18’s Team, Under 16’s Team and Under 14’s Team. Each team has several matches throughout the year.

WHAT THE SGU WILL PROVIDE FOR ALL VOLUNTEERS:

• Refreshments throughout the day including lunch.
• Training on any systems required to be successful in the volunteer role.
• Any out-of-pocket expenses, including travel expenses to and from the event.